The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-11-19
A North Carolina Enooh Arden.
The FIRST Husband Turns Up to Find His
wife the Companion of a Second.


A Raleigh IN. C. correspondent relates the
following: A very strange story recently
came to light here through Senator Kope
Elias, of jackson county, the most remote
county of North Carolina, and in area as large
as some of the States of the Union. In 1862
stalwart mountaineer of jackson county
named Hamrick, who up to that time had
managed to avoid the war, brought buxom
wife with him from Swain county into jackson,
and made his home in quiet cove in the
Cherokee reservation. The pair were devot-
ed, and the wife experienced all the delights
of thoroughly primitive existence.
Now there was regiment of Cherokees in
the Confederate service, and one day an Off
Ger of this regiment stumbled upon Hamrick
in the cove, conscripted him and hurried him
to the front. His wife next heard of him
with the Confederate army in Northern Vir-
ginia. She got one or two letters and mes
sages from him, and finally these stopped.
In 1864 the wife, to whom pair of twins, a
boy and girl, had been born, learned that her
husband had disappeared; that after his name
on the roll of the company was only the
dreadful entry, missing"
In 1865, when the war had ended, the wife
received the intelligence that her husband
had deserted and gone over to the enemy.
Year after year passed, but she heard moth
ing of him. Then wooers came, for "the
widow" as she was known, was pretty and
agreeable. One patient lover, named Bow
ers, after having been rejected three times,
won, and he and the widow were married in
1876. He brought his effects to his wife's
home in the cove. For ten years the couple
lived happily together.
One bright June day a stranger came to
h he IL
in most respects like it was in 1868, for
changes in the mountain wilds are made
slowly. Bowers was not at home. The wife
was now buxom woman of forty, far fdier
in appearance and with much more natural
grace aud sprightliness of manner than the
average woman of that section. The stranger
asked who lived there. He was told ''the
Bowers family" and in a hospitabe manner
was asked into the house, where presently
came in to their mother two children, one of
six and the other of nine years. At dinner
time the family received two more additions
young man and woman about % years of
age and exceedingly alike in face and man
ner. The stranger asked, who are theseYf
"They are Hamricks, p" was the reply. "My
children by my first husband" the wife ex-
planned further.
In half an hour the wife had told her whole
appearance of her first husband. Just as she
was concluding, Bowers came in with
neighbor. Explanations followed and the
stranger proved to be the woman's first hus-
band. He had deserted, had gone to the
Northwest, and from there iloated into Mex
leo and had been amid such hardships that he
had not been able to return, and he owned
that for a long time he had not desired to re.
turn, but anxiety as to the fate of his wife,
and remorse together, had compelled him to
hunt her up. The neighbors heard all this
and witnessed the scene, or it is probable the
whole affair would have been lost TO the pub
lie. Hamrck, after his much experience with
the world, was much brighter than his wife
or her second husband. He knew that the
woman was legally his wife. He talked the
matter over quietly with Bowers. The woman
hustled about, much agitated. She said she
had warm place in her heart for her first
husband, but she thought she liked her second.
Whatever you all say | must do, that will
do she SAID. 81 only want to do my duty
Hamrick agreed that it was his duty to go
away, and after one or two days friendly
sojourn with them he told them goodbye and
left for the Northwest, telling them that he
would not come back again. The wife cried
when he left, but she was satisfied that she
had done her duty. In that wild section the
matter was the subject Of little gossip around
distillery fires of the mountain Businesses, and
then the matter died out until vendetta re.
Gently caused it to come out in u new and
startling way Bowers and one OF his neigh
bors had a falling out about cider press.
From words there were fights and bloodshed,
but Bowers and his faction were too strong
for the others. The defeated party crept off
to the county seat, and to the solicitor gave
the information that Bowers was violating the
law by living with woman whose husband
he was not legally, and that the woman had
also violated the law in committing bigamy.
"rhat's how I'm agoin' ter git my revenge on
them Bowers said the avenger exultingly,
as he walked off.
And he cid; for from that time until very
recently the trials of Bowers really began
Bowers and his wife were arrested. They
employed Senator Elias as their counsel.
When the court met the lawyer used all his
persuasiveness. lie told the story of the de-
serted wife, the long vigil of love, the giving
up Of the first husband for dead, the remar-
rage, the return of the long-lost husband,
and the verbal agreement that he should re.
turn 10 the far Northwest and all remain as
it was. The narrative had its effect upon the
rudest mind; but the law had technically, I'M
knowingly, been violated; it must be techni-
cally enforced. There was then technical
verdict OF guilty, with Recommendation to
the mercy Of the court if the parties lived
separately and apart. Elias awaited himself
of the opportunity. Sympathizing with the
couple, who were deeply grieved at the idea
of living apart, he advised that they had best
go out ofthat neighborhood, and that they
might live together; that the verdict was only
technical and the judgment mere form, and
that in the future the law would not interfere
with them. They acted on the suggestion
and removed to Macon county, where they
are now living out of the reach of their ven
delta enemies.